--The differences of temperature, salinity distribution characteristics and structure of circulation in the upper layer of the South China Sea (SCS) are analyzed, based on the CTD and ADCP data from the two intensive surveyed cruises (IOP1 : April 10- May 5; IOP2: June 12- July 6) and carried out before and after the Asian monsoon burst (May 25) during the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) in 1998. The results showed that field of temperature in the upper layer of the SCS distinctly changed before and after the monsoon burst, the average surface temperature increased by 0.75℃, with its influence down to the depth of 500 m. The interaction of the local circulation in some areas resulted in the complexity and variability of the temperature and salinity structure in the upper layer, and the alternating distribution of cold and warm water regions (blocks). The high salinity subsurface water obviously intruded into the SCS from the Northwest Pacific, but only limited to the area of southwest of Taiwan Island, and the low salinity intermediate water flowed from the SCS to the North west Pacific. The circulation fidd of the SCS in the summer mainly consisted of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies (rings). With the burst of the monsoon, the intensity and amount of the anticyclonic or the cyclonic eddies (rings) would vary, showing the complex distribution pattems and variations. The result analyzed by the isopycnic surface method coincided extremely with those by in situ survey (ADCP),which showed that the formation of circulation in the SCS was mainly controlled by the internal mass field, that is, dominated by the geostrophic component.